Bird watching is a highly prevalent past time in both urban and rural areas. The world is full of birds of numerous varieties in an astounding array of colors and designs. Many people enjoy viewing birds of various types, and an industry has evolved around products directed to improving the ability of persons to closely observe birds in their natural environment. On one hand, many people venture into the outdoors, where binoculars and spotting scopes may be utilized to better view various birds in their natural habitats. Such an approach requires a certain degree of skill, however, in finding and spotting various species of birds. Another approach utilizes various means of attracting birds to one's residence or a desired viewing location, such as adjacent a home's porch or window, where birds may be viewed at one's leisure.
For example, persons have used birdfeeders, birdbaths, and the like to attract birds of various types to their homes. Different types of feeders have been developed, which each dispense foodstuffs that are preferred by a selected variety of bird which a person might desire to view. For example, seeds, grains, suets, and nectars are common foodstuffs that can be dispensed by a selected type of feeder.
Seed dispensing birdfeeders are perhaps the easiest and most popular way of attracting a myriad of wild birds to a particular location for viewing. This is especially so in the winter months when food is scarce. Typically, seed feeders are suspended from a pole or hung from a tree branch so as to elevate the feeder above the ground and are built to hold and protect the seed from the elements.
There are a variety of seed feeders that have been constructed to attract various species of wild birds. In general, such feeders fall into three categories: tray feeders, hopper feeders, and tube feeders. Tray feeders are rather simplistic in design and generally comprise a tray or platform on which birdseed is spread. Hopper feeders further include a feed reservoir, which is oftentimes shaped like a house. The seed is dispensed beneath the reservoir onto a tray or platform that is accessible by the birds. Tube feeders, on the other hand, are hollow, cylindrical tubes, often made of plastic, and have multiple feeding stations spaced along the length of the tube. Typically, feeding stations include both a seed port and an adjacent perch to provide the feeding bird with a place to alight.
Tube feeders are a very popular birdfeeder construction due, in part, to their ability to keep the seed fairly dry and attract various bird species. Particularly, though, the size of the seed ports largely dictate the type of birdseed that may be used to fill the tube feeder and, thus, the types of bird species that will be attracted to the feeder. For example, if the seed ports are relatively large, the feeder can be filled with mixed birdseed or sunflower seeds, which will generally attract larger birds, such as blue jays, cardinals, and grackles. Smaller seed ports, on the other hand, dispense thistle seed, which is a different type of birdseed and is attractive to finches. Accordingly, some tube feeders are specially constructed as thistle feeders with extra small ports for dispensing thistle seeds.
Oftentimes, people prefer to attract several different species of birds to a desired viewing location. Accordingly, it is not uncommon for people to own a variety of birdfeeders for dispensing different types of birdseed. To accommodate this desire, there are a variety of tube feeders available, which vary in size, appearance, and of course, seed port size.
However, for many, space may be limited for hanging birdfeeders, especially for individuals living in apartments with very limited balcony space. For others, time and money may simply limit one's ability to acquire and maintain several different birdfeeders. As a result, many are perhaps limited to owning only one type of birdfeeder that is only capable of dispensing one type of birdseed. Accordingly, there remains a need to provide a seed dispensers that are capable of dispensing different types of seed. Further, there is a need to provide new and improved birdfeeders that are capable of dispensing different types of birdseed. The present invention is directed to meeting these needs.